American Strategic Deception Bureau

　In this way, Saigon in April had just experienced the massacre of Ngo Dinh Diem's ​​"Ten-Day Reign" and bid farewell to General Nguyen Khanh's "Three-Day Reign".

　As for what will happen next in this city, even God doesn't know.

　What should it be called? Edo Domain? Kanto Domain?

　Chapter 227: Last year you asked me to fight Castro, and this year you want me to fight Ho Chi Minh?

　After accidentally killing General Nguyen Khanh, a group of young military officers realized that things seemed to be getting serious.

　After a round of mutual accusations and blame-shifting, with no one knowing how to clean up the mess, this group of reckless and reckless guys had no choice but to do a "version rollback" and decided to re-introduce the former commander of the coup army, the "highly respected" army commander Yang Wenming as the leader.

　Just like that, Yang Wenming, who had originally planned to retire and go back to his hometown to grow flowers, was dragged out of bed by his adjutant, Major Ruan Wenrong, on this smoke-filled morning. He put on the yellow robe in a daze, and together with his old partner, Chief of General Staff Chen Wendun, he once again put on his armor and took power!

　However, although Dung Minh was once the top commander of the South Vietnamese officer corps and could still command the support of the generals, his direct troops had been wiped out by this time, and his personal reputation had declined significantly after repeated defeats and rumors of collaborating with the Communists. He was no longer able to intimidate the generals and officers.

　So, a few hours later, as the news of Nguyen Khanh's death spread, the 22nd and 23rd Divisions, which were brought to the capital from the 2nd Military Region by Nguyen Khanh, were angry about the innocent and tragic death of their superior Nguyen Khanh, and soon engaged in a firefight with the rest of the coup army, and the remaining police and militia were also involved.

　For a time, the whole of Saigon was filled with gunshots and explosions, and countless thugs took advantage of the chaos to loot. The Viet Cong special forces also took the opportunity to fish in troubled waters, constantly sniping and kidnapping various diehard elements in Saigon, and even assassinating American advisers stationed in the South Vietnamese army and government.

　Vice President Nguyen Ngoc Thu, Foreign Minister Vo Van Mau and other senior South Vietnamese civilian officials, who were ambitiously preparing the list of the new cabinet, saw Saigon turned into a battlefield again, and they ran away in an instant, scattering like birds and beasts - most of them quickly gathered at the US Embassy.

　As a result, when the "three-surname slave" Nguyen Chinh Thi was inviting the North Vietnamese army to enter Hue in the north, the various troops in Saigon were continuing to fight each other. The government was almost defeated, so who had the time to take care of these trivial matters on the border?

　Only the US Ambassador, Lodge, and the commander of US forces in Vietnam, Huggins, were extremely anxious about this. But in the midst of the chaos, they could only roll their eyes.

　In this way, when the Hanoi authorities in North Vietnam planned to break through the 17th parallel and march into Hue, only the US government spoke out loudly at the United Nations conference, condemning North Vietnam's crime of tearing up the Geneva Agreement and invading its neighboring countries, demanding that the United Nations General Assembly condemn it and that the Security Council vote to re-establish the "United Nations Army" to defend the territorial integrity of South Vietnam.

　Next, as expected, he was scolded back by the United Nations representative of the socialist camp.

　The South Vietnamese government in Saigon, the victim of the incident, did not respond at all after the incident, which was regarded as tacit approval by the North Vietnamese diplomatic department.

　——Saigon is now in a state of anarchy. The government is gone. We have no choice but to accept it even if we don’t want to!

　What is even more outrageous is that Saigon did not remove Nguyen Chinh Thi, the "contemporary Wu Sangui", from all his concurrent posts: President Ngo Dinh Diem was dead, the central government was defeated, and the military officer corps leading the coup was in chaos. Who would remove Nguyen Chinh Thi, the "traitor of three surnames", from his post as Governor-General of Hue?

　We can't let President Kennedy in the White House take over, right?

　In this way, the two main North Vietnamese divisions, the 304th and 308th, "legitimately" crossed the Bien Hai River and set foot on the land of the South...

　-

　Bianhai River, also known as Xianliang River.

　This was originally an ordinary little river, originating from the Changshan Mountains and flowing into the South China Sea.

　But because it basically coincides with the 17th parallel, it has become a symbol of the "bamboo curtain" of the Cold War in the East, just like the Berlin Wall in Europe.

　The Bien Hai River's drainage basin aligns perfectly with the slender "waist" of Vietnam, a narrow and long country. From the Laotian border in the west to the South China Sea in the east, it stretches only 50 kilometers. According to the 1954 Geneva Agreement, after the withdrawal of French colonial forces, Vietnam established the 17th parallel north, also known as the Bien Hai River, as its temporary military demarcation line.

　To the north of the Bien Hai River is the Hanoi regime ruled by the Workers' Party, and to the south of the Bien Hai River is the Saigon regime ruled by the Conscientious Party.

　With the Bianhai River as the boundary, within an area 5 kilometers wide on the north and south sides, theoretically no troops are stationed on either side, so it is also called DMZ (demilitarized zone).

　But in fact, neither the North nor the South fully abided by the agreement. Instead, they deployed heavy troops on both sides of the Bianhai River and were on high alert.

　For a moment, this "Chu River and Han River boundary" seemed to have the potential to escalate into the "epicenter" of war at any time.

　Of course, starting from the beginning of April, South Vietnam on the south bank of the Bianhai River had been defeated without a fight, and the carefully built fortifications became useless.

　In fact, even before Hue Governor Nguyen Chinh Thi publicly surrendered to the Communists, North Vietnamese troops had already taken over the South Vietnamese fortifications across the Bien Hai River. Because South Vietnamese border guards had already rushed to Hue to rebel, the North Vietnamese troops encountered only very weak resistance and verbal protests from American advisers.

　Next, the Viet Cong guerrillas in the Hue area also seized and controlled a number of important highway bridges and transportation hubs, clearing obstacles for the North Vietnamese army's southward advance. At this point, the only thing missing for the North Vietnamese regular army to move south was the right opportunity and excuse.

　Now, with the public support of the "three-surname slave" Nguyen Chinh Thi for Taipei Vietnam, the time to unify the country

　The opportunity has arrived!

　Le Duc Anh, director of the Operations Department of the General Staff of the North Vietnamese People's Army, stood by the Bien Hai River and watched the troops marching in front of him with emotion.

　Originally, there was only a very simple wooden bridge across the Bien Hai River, which was blown up by South Vietnamese engineers. But now, North Vietnamese engineers have not only repaired the bridge and widened the road, but also rushed to build five floating bridges across the river at all costs.

　Looking at the flow of people and vehicles crossing the Bianhai River and heading south, Li Deying sighed.

　As Director of the Operations Bureau of the General Staff, he had painstakingly devised and reviewed countless campaign plans for breaking through the demarcation line. Regardless of which plan was implemented, facing the enemy's superiority in sea and air, it was fraught with difficulty, requiring staggering losses to defeat the enemy.

　But what he never dreamed was that the real victory would come so easily, so suddenly, and so effortlessly!

　Perhaps, this year we can really conquer the southern country and unify the land?

　Li Deying looked up at the southern horizon and thought so.

　-

　After easily crossing the DMZ along the 17th parallel north of the Bien Hai River, the North Vietnamese army went on to capture Dong Ha City without a fight and crossed the Hau Han River. Next, Quang Tri City, the capital of Quang Tri Province, was also hoisted with red flags.

　According to the defense plan previously formulated by the Pentagon for the South Vietnamese army, after the border line of the Bien Hai River was breached, the South Vietnamese army should adopt a strategy of fighting and retreating, relying on the numerous rivers on the coastal plains as barriers, to carry out step-by-step resistance and block the advance of the North Vietnamese army.

　But when the North Vietnamese army actually galloped across this narrow plain sandwiched between the mountains and the sea, there was actually only air for defense.

　The South Vietnamese rebels, Buddhist monks, landlord militias, and Catholic militias, who had been fighting each other for days, could not unite in such a hurry to fight against the North Vietnamese armored forces, let alone send troops to block the front of the North Vietnamese tanks - what if they were attacked by others?

　Without a leader, they could only give up the road, flee to the countryside, or defend themselves in villages or fortresses.

　There were also large numbers of stragglers and refugees mixed together, all fleeing towards Hue along Highway 1. Not only did they break down the roadblocks along the way, but they also transmitted the fear of the border collapse to the rear, which was equivalent to paving the way for the North Vietnamese army.

　This led to the North Vietnamese army's unstoppable momentum after the war broke out, advancing hundreds of kilometers, quickly crossing the My Ching River, and heading straight for Hue.

　As the capital of Vietnam's last feudal dynasty, Hue, located on the Perfume River, is not only the third largest city in South Vietnam with a population of 14, but has also been the political and cultural center of Vietnam for more than a hundred years, holding extremely strong political significance.

　By the time the North Vietnamese army reached the city, thugs and soldiers had been fighting each other for over two weeks, leaving each other bloodied and exhausted. A Vietcong guerrilla group had even infiltrated Hue's imperial city and entrenched itself in the Forbidden City-style palace for over a week. Nguyen Chinh Thi, the Governor-General of Hue and Commander of the First Military Region, led the charge to surrender, standing atop a North Vietnamese tank and repeatedly shouting through a loudspeaker to persuade the enemy to surrender...

　Come on, President Ngo Dinh Diem is dead, the Governor of Hue has surrendered, why should the soldiers under him still fight?

　Not to mention, the anti-Buddhist crisis that broke out earlier made the residents of this ancient Vietnamese capital full of resentment towards the Saigon government.

　Therefore, despite the disorganization and morale collapse of the army, the 308th Division, the vanguard of the North Vietnamese army, quickly broke into the city. The citizens, soldiers, and rioters in the city fled, some heading south into the mountains, and some heading to the nearby Xinmei Port to try to find a boat to go out to sea.

　In order to take over the city as quickly and completely as possible, the North Vietnamese army did not prevent the refugees from fleeing, but opened the roads and allowed them to leave.

　Next, the North Vietnamese army, which had been advancing rapidly all the way, finally encountered a small obstacle on the banks of the Perfume River.

　American military advisers and a small number of American special forces stationed in Hue, as well as more than 100 South Vietnamese Marines willing to accept their command, blew up the bridge over the Perfume River and fired field artillery at the north bank, temporarily stopping the North Vietnamese army in the old city north of the Perfume River.

　But this did not cause much trouble to the North Vietnamese army - seeing the bridge being blown up, the 308th Division quickly collected boats and prepared to force a crossing of the Perfume River. At the same time, it sent a reconnaissance force to the west, bypassing the upper reaches of the Perfume River and infiltrating the enemy's rear.

　The American military advisers had less than 200 people with them and were completely unable to block the entire river channel, which was dozens of kilometers long. Seeing the enemy launching multiple river crossing attacks, they had no choice but to abandon the "US Aid Vietnam Command" on the south bank of the Xiangshui River, get on armored vehicles, and flee south.

　Next, the Hue airport was easily captured by the North Vietnamese army, and six aircraft in the hangar and a large amount of aviation gasoline were seized.

　In this way, by April 25, the North Vietnamese army, which had rushed hundreds of kilometers to the south, had initially occupied the entire Hue and switched to security operations, clearing out bandits and remnants in the urban area of ​​Hue, releasing thousands of political prisoners imprisoned by the South Vietnamese government, and waiting for supplies to be delivered from the rear.

　The speed of its advancement has surpassed the blitzkrieg of the German armored forces in World War II!

　A photo of a North Vietnamese soldier raising a red flag on the gate of the Hue Imperial City quickly became as popular as the photo of US Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima and Soviet Red Army soldiers raising the flag on the Reichstag in Berlin.

　Like a famous scene, it was published on the front pages of major newspapers around the world.

　Firi, who was in Da Nang, had just left the church and returned to his residence at Da Nang Airport when he learned that his superiors had assigned him a difficult new task.

　"Huh? Promote me to temporary colonel and let me serve as an advisor to General Zun Shiding to help him defend Da Nang? Because my performance in Cuba last year reassured the president? What the hell is going on? Last year I was asked to fight Castro, and this year they want me to fight Ho Chi Minh!"

　Looking at the coded telegram sent from Washington, Ferry couldn't help but smack his lips and said, "Don't the President and the Director think too highly of me?"

　"Although I also find this mission difficult, obeying orders is ultimately a soldier's duty."

　Dr. Kissinger persuaded, "Come with me to see General Zun Shiding! He just moved his headquarters next to the airport..."

　Author's Note: PS: A very interesting bug: Although the United States called the enemy "Viet Cong" during the Vietnam War, at that time North Vietnam was ruled by the Workers' Party and South Vietnam was led by the National Liberation Front, neither of which had the word "Communist" in its name.

　It was not until after unification in 1976 that the name was actually changed to "Viet Cong".

　Chapter 228: General Zun Shiding's Empty City Strategy (Additional Updates Requesting Votes)

　The Governor of Da Nang, Major General Zun Shiding, is 36 years old this year and is the youngest general in the entire South Vietnam.

　His surname may sound a bit strange, but in Vietnam, the surname of the noble family is actually extremely noble, because it represents the royal family of the Nguyen Dynasty.

　As for why the royal family of the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam did not have the surname Nguyen, but had to have the surname Zunshi? This is of course because there are too many people with the surname Nguyen in Vietnam!

　——Just like there are people with the surnames Kim and Li everywhere in North Korea, there are also many people with the surname Nguyen in Vietnam.

　According to statistics, in Vietnam, people with the surname Nguyen account for as much as 40% of the total population!

　Then, as we all know, no matter what it is in this world, once there is too much of it, it will appear cheap, and surnames are no exception.

　Since Vietnam split from China, the first few feudal dynasties that emerged in Vietnam were the Dinh Dynasty, the Ly Dynasty, the Tran Dynasty, the Le Dynasty, the Mac Dynasty, the Zheng Dynasty, etc., which were not a big deal. But the last dynasty to unify Vietnam was the Nguyen Dynasty!

　It is conceivable that when the Nguyen Dynasty emperor, who thought he had made great achievements and was extremely noble, saw that the whole country was filled with people with the surname Nguyen, from peddlers to prostitutes and beggars, there were large numbers of people with the surname Nguyen, and almost half of the civil and military officials in the court were named Nguyen, he would naturally feel very unhappy.

　To this end, Emperor Gia Long Nguyen Phuc Anh specifically modified the royal surname, combining the surname Nguyen and the first character of his own name to form a new surname called "Nguyen Phuc" as the national surname. In fact, the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam should strictly be written as "Nguyen Phuc Dynasty".

　At the same time, in order to highlight the emperor's dignity, Emperor Gia Long stipulated that only the emperor was qualified to use the surname Nguyen Phuc, and other royal family members were not allowed to use it.

　But if these royal family members continue to have the surname Nguyen, they will seem like ordinary people in Vietnam.

　Therefore, Emperor Gia Long changed the name of the branch of the royal family to "Zunshi", creating a new surname.

　Well, Zunshi, it sounds very noble.

　Of course, a century and a half had passed since Emperor Gia Long unified Vietnam, and countless royal descendants had multiplied. While it wasn't to the point where even the people carrying heavy bags at the docks were royal relatives, there were still many who lived in poverty and felt unhappy.

　So, despite being a branch of the royal family, with Nguyen Dynasty blood flowing through his veins, when Diem overthrew Emperor Bao Dai and destroyed the Nguyen Dynasty, Thun Thi Dinh resolutely sided with Diem for the sake of his family's future and wealth, and even became Diem's ​​adopted son. Diem reciprocated his kindness by promoting Thun Thi Dinh several times, including the important posts of Commander of the Third Military Region and Commander of the Capital Garrison (Governor-General of Saigon).

　Even during the March 30th coup of that year, Thun Thi Dinh was crushed by the rebels, losing the entire defense perimeter of the capital and being forced to flee Saigon in disgrace. However, after Ngo Dinh Diem recaptured Saigon, he gave Thun Thi Dinh another chance, recognizing his "second-in-command" for his unwavering loyalty, despite his poor performance in battle.

　——Let him take a warship north to Da Nang to serve as governor, gather the remaining local troops, and threaten Nguyen Khanh’s Second Military Region from behind.

　As a result, just as Zun Shiding arrived in Da Nang, President Ngo Dinh Diem passed away, and Major General Nguyen Khanh became the master of the capital Saigon.

　Then, just as the stunned Major General Son Shi Ding finally came to his senses and was considering how to ask Major General Nguyen Khanh for mercy, or simply resign and go into exile abroad, news of Nguyen Khanh's sudden death, the chaos in Saigon, and the spread of North Vietnam arrived...

　Damn, not only did his "brother-in-law" Nguyen Cheng Thi become a traitor to three families, but he also brought in the North Vietnamese army?

　Seeing the North Vietnamese army crossing the Bianhai River and getting closer and closer to him, Major General Zun Shiding became more and more panicked.

　Fortunately, although the rebels and the traitors in Saigon could no longer be relied upon, the American father on the other side of the ocean was still very reliable.

　Under the urging of General LeMay, the U.S. Far East Air Force has launched a strategic air transport at all costs, and is about to urgently transport a large amount of weapons, ammunition, and food supplies from the Philippines to Da Nang to stabilize the morale of the army in Da Nang and make local Catholics feel that they have not been abandoned.

　In addition, General Harkins, the commander of the US forces in Vietnam, also sent a telegram to encourage the emperor to hold on to Da Nang.

　, at any cost, the North Vietnamese People's Army must not be allowed to continue advancing south, and he also promised that as long as the situation in Saigon stabilized a little, a group of American special forces would be airlifted to help Zun Shiding fight.

　Well, Ambassador Lodge also sent a telegram, but the content was rather outrageous. He actually asked Zun Shiding to send troops north to meet the enemy on the Hue Plain!

　Oh my God! The North Vietnamese army in Hue has at least two main divisions! How can he possibly defeat them when he doesn't even have a brigade of troops?

　Of course, although Ambassador Lodge's telegram was outrageous, the one million US dollars he called was great, so the gentleman was not angry.

　Now, the White House has recommended a military advisor to him, Colonel King. He's said to be the young star who won the Cuban nuclear war and defeated Castro's communist regime last year. He's hailed as the best firefighter in contemporary America, skilled at cleaning up messes.

　In this regard, Major General Zun Shiding, who has been very worried these days, is very happy and also has some expectations.

　I hope that Colonel Jin is really a natural genius, and can turn South Vietnam around in this mess!

　-- To clarify, Firi had just been promoted to temporary colonel. This rank was a temporary wartime appointment, designed to allow him to have an equal dialogue with Major General Zunfushi. Otherwise, it would be awkward for a major to serve as an advisor to a major general.

　After the Battle of Da Nang, when Firi no longer serves as an advisor to Tsunami at the rank of Major General, his actual rank will "roll back" to Major.

　-

　In short, Firi met General Zunshiding in a series of military tents temporarily built next to Da Nang Airport.

　In Fili's eyes, despite his odd name, Zun Shiding was handsome, sunny, lively, and youthful-looking. One would have believed he was a college student in his early twenties. At first glance, he resembled the "Little Mark Brother" of later Hong Kong films.

　In addition, because he had studied in the United States, Zun Shiding spoke American English very fluently - at least it was easier to understand than the French-flavored English of "Madam Dragon" Chen Lichun.

　If it weren't for the camouflage uniform he was wearing, at first glance, Phili would have thought he was an Asian college student majoring in sports at some American university!

　Damn it! He is obviously more than ten years older than me, but why does he look as young as me?

　With your looks, you don't become an actor, but instead join the army. I feel like you're really missing out.

　Fili muttered this inwardly as he exchanged a few pleasantries with Major General Zun Shiding. He then requested the latest troop deployments near Da Nang, then gasped: Da Nang's garrison was so undermanned, it seemed like a near-empty city plan!

　As a Catholic city 200 kilometers from the border, with a strong mass base and few guerrillas nearby, the South Vietnamese government had initially deployed few troops in Da Nang. Besides police and militia, there were only a few Marines and Rangers, all of whom had been taken by President Ngo Dinh Diem to attack Saigon.

　Later, when Major General Son Suk-ding rushed to Da Nang by boat from Saigon to take up his post, he only brought with him a few personal guards and a battalion of commandos.

　The above are all the regular troops of South Vietnam in Da Nang, totaling less than 400 people.

　However, there were still a small number of remaining troops of the South Vietnamese Army's 2nd Division on the Chu Lai Peninsula south of Da Nang, including a 4th Infantry Regiment, two artillery battalions and a US military advisory group. After the commander of the 2nd Division was killed by Nguyen Zheng Shi, the remaining troops left at the division headquarters in Chu Lai all accepted the command of Zun Shi Ding.

　But the problem was that the plan that Zunshi had made before was that he would lead his troops south from Da Nang to Chu Lai to meet up with the remnants of the Second Division, and then continue to attack south together, invading cities such as Phan Rang further south, harassing the rear of the Second Military Region and causing trouble for the rebels commanded by Major General Nguyen Khanh.

　In fact, before President Ngo Dinh Diem ascended to heaven, the troops of the 2nd Division had been ordered to march a long distance south.

　Now, were they suddenly asking these 2nd Division troops to change course and head north to assist in the defense of Da Nang? The trip back and forth, resting the soldiers, and replenishing supplies would take a long time, and reaching Da Nang within a week would be a good thing.